What Is Confirmation?

    Many of us grew up being taught and believing something of the sort that confirmation was the time that one would confirm their baptismal vow. Yet, when we parse that statement we realize that we do not make a vow at our baptism, rather God is the one doing the doing and giving the gifts. So the question again is, “What is confirmation?”
    Notice, as always, we get it right when we point, not to ourselves, but to Jesus. Confirmation is something we do, but only after something has been done to us and for us. As we recall, the Church stands or falls on the doctrine of Justification, that is that we are made just and right in God’s eyes by God Himself. Just as a drowning person cannot save themself, or they would not be drowning, so we cannot save ourselves. Our salvation must and does come from outside of us, it comes from Christ. In the waters of Holy Baptism with God’s name, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, God imputes faith, that is He puts faith in our hearts. God gives faith. As we grow in our faith through the means of God’s Word, in Sunday School and in reading our Bible, the Holy Spirit works through these means to strengthen and keep us in faith and then to help us to do what is right which we call sanctification. And yet, just as our justification begins and ends with Jesus, He is the on doing the justifying and making us just and right in God’s eyes, so even in sanctification the Holy Spirit is the One doing the doing, moving in us to make good decisions. So, in pointing to Jesus, Confirmation is the Holy Spirit moving in the hearts of those who have been instructed in the Christian faith to speak words of affirmation of the faith which God has given them in the baptism.